Turns out Li Jun was wrong. He wasn’t delusional or egocentric. He was that important to him. He was so important that he mobilized all his resources in Red Valkyrie to find Draco and Damian. Yu Wen knew that if he found either of them, he would find Li Jun.

The plan was solid, but the problem was finding a ghost that didn’t want to be found. Blue Sapphire had a solid wall. No one was talking, and there was no chatter, thus he had to be creative.

Draco and Damian ran a tight ship, but there was a fatal flaw, and that was Draco’s hobby. He lived and breathed mechs. He designed them from scratch and built them with his own hands. It was a passion of his. Because he was particular about his mech parts, he bought customized parts from specific companies.

In the past few months, something had changed. Certain shipments that used to go to the orgy club had been quietly redirected to a shipping outpost on the planet Elysia. The shipment was then rerouted to an obscure planet called Nox.

This small, private planet was owned by a powerful conglomerate. It was the only thread that made sense. To Yu Wen, it was no coincidence. This small crack in the fortress could lead him to find Draco, and if he finds Draco, he finds Li Jun.

When this information landed on his desk, he didn’t waste any time. He had to leave immediately. The only thing delaying him was that he had to speak to his mother first. Recently, the capital had been in turmoil. Not only the capital but the imperial court.

Xiu Ying had bypassed the imperial court and had funds redirected to the military. She found a loophole in Aurelia’s laws and achieved her purpose. This meant that funds were cut elsewhere, be it healthcare, education, and transport. Nothing was spared. She cut funding wherever she could.

The result was obvious. The Imperial court was still fighting her on this and trying to reverse this decision, but they weren’t making any progress. Soon, the effects of her decision would trickle down, and the people would begin to notice.

Yu Wen knew that Xiu Ying was going to become desperate. This was why he couldn’t leave his mother in the imperial capital for Xiu Ying to use her as leverage. Lu Anu didn’t make it difficult for him. She had been bored staying in the capital anyway, so she eagerly joined him on his adventure.

Besides, she was excited to see this romance story unfold. She was also afraid her stupid son would screw things up, so she had to tag along. The mother and son’s departure from the imperial capital was silent. No one, not even Xiu Ying, knew that they had left. If she had known, she might have issued an imperial order preventing him from leaving. It wasn’t the first time an imperial king had done such a thing.

A journey that would have taken a transport ship a month only took his warship a week and a half. They couldn’t approach Nox directly. Yu Wen would have to quietly sneak on the planet, which proved to be incredibly difficult. The only way he could get in was by hijacking one of the delivery ships coming to the planet, and he had already picked his target.

Red Valkyrie’s warship hid in the shadows, like a predator stalking its prey. The small shipping craft had no idea that it was being hunted. This was, after all, Blue Sapphire’s territory. No one would have the balls to attack them, or so they thought.

Just before they reached Nox, they were intercepted. Before they knew what hit them, their small craft was dragged into the massive cargo hold. The crew scrambled to arm themselves, bracing for the inevitable breach. They didn’t know if they had been hijacked by interstellar pirates or small-time thieves. Whoever it was, they would rather die than be caught and tortured by them.

The tension was heavy, and their hands were clammy as they held their weapons, lying in wait. Just when they thought their reinforced doors were about to be breached, their comms crackled, having been infiltrated by Red Valkyrie’s systems. Alex’s voice cut through the tension, saying,

"This is Red Valkyrie 2. It’s not worth dying for... Come out with your hands up." The word Red Valkyrie alone made the men look at each other. This wasn’t a hijacking by interstellar pirates but a beef among gods. They were small fries in this situation and couldn’t afford to offend either.

They did as told and put their weapons down. The captain opened the hatch, and the four of them walked out of the ship. Alex, seeing them give up, called Yu Wen. Yu Wen picked up the call and asked, "Is it ready?"

Alex replied, "Yes... General, I don’t think you should go alone."

Yu Wen put on his black t-shirt while saying, "I have to, otherwise Draco will think I am there to start a war. If you don’t hear from me within an hour, you know what to do."

Alex still didn’t think it was a good idea to let him go into the beast’s lair alone, but what choice did he have? He could only reply, "Yes, sir," before Yu Wen hung up. Yu Wen ran his fingers through his hair, fixing the stray strands. He had been looking forward to this day for months.

He wondered what Li Jun would say when he saw him. He had rehearsed and re-rehearsed his lines countless times. He knew Li Jun probably wouldn’t forgive him, but he would do whatever it takes to earn it. He was willing to work like a horse for him. He just hoped he would be able to express himself clearly when the time came.

The door was knocked, and he said come in. Lu Anu walked in and said, "Wow, you look handsome. You even had a haircut... it looks nice." She walked over, fixed his t-shirt, looking like a proud mama.

"Do you think it’s too much cologne? I think I put too much," he asked, seeming really concerned.

She let out a soft chuckle and said, "Don’t worry, it’s fine. You seem a little nervous."

Of course, he was nervous. He just didn’t want to screw this up. He licked his lips and said, "I just... I don’t want to mess this up. This might be my only chance."